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Tag: 2015

  • Thangam Debbonaire – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Thangam Debbonaire – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Thangam Debbonaire on 2015-09-17.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, if the Government will make it its policy to set energy efficiency targets higher than those set out in the 2015 Conservative election manifesto.

    Andrea Leadsom

    Alongside its specific manifesto commitment of insulating a million more homes over the next five years, supporting our commitment to tackle fuel poverty, this Government is also committed to keeping energy bills as low as possible as part of a long-term, coherent and affordable policy framework. We are also guided by our legally binding objectives on tackling fuel poverty and carbon, which require us to cut the UK’s greenhouse gas emissions by 50% by the period 2023-2027, which we will do as cost effectively as possible, and to enable as many fuel poor homes as reasonably practicable to reach energy efficiency Band C by 2030.

  • Sarah Champion – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Sarah Champion – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Sarah Champion on 2015-09-17.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps he is taking to help protect people defending women’s rights in Egypt.

    Mr Tobias Ellwood

    We regularly raise the importance of human rights, including women’s, with the Egyptian government at both ministerial and official levels, and our Embassy in Cairo continues to monitor alleged cases of sexual and gender-based violence. In 2014 the UK sponsored a delegation of Egyptian Ministry of Justice officials to meet UK counterparts and discuss issues of gender-based violence. These discussions helped inform drafting of the new Egyptian law passed under interim President Adly Mansour, which criminalised sexual harassment in Egypt for the first time. At the UN’s Universal Periodic Review of Egypt’s human rights situation on 5 November 2014 the UK made recommendations focussing on the ability of civil society to operate freely and the protection of women’s rights, which were accepted by Egypt. We continue to discuss the issue of gender-based violence with the Government of Egypt and are seeking practical ways that we can work together in this area.

  • Jim Cunningham – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Jim Cunningham – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2015-09-17.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the report produced by the Review Body on Doctors’ and Dentists’ Remuneration entitled Contract reform for consultants and doctors and dentists in training – supporting heathcare services seven days a week, published on 16 July 2015; and if he will make a statement.

    Alistair Burt

    After the British Medical Association (BMA) left negotiations in October 2014, the Government asked the independent Doctors and Dentists Review Body (DDRB) to make recommendations on a new contract for junior doctors. The DDRB report published on 16 July considered evidence from employers, Government, the British Medical Association (BMA) and other interested parties and made recommendations on a new pay structure for doctors and dentists in training.

    The Secretary of State accepted the recommendations of the DDRB as the basis for implementing a new contract and invited the BMA to re-enter negotiations to take forward the recommendations with NHS Employers. Although the DDRB accepted the principles of the reforms there remained significant work to finalise and agree the details of the contract and it was expected that these would be agreed between the parties on the basis of a negotiation. It is disappointing that on 13 August the BMA announced that it would not re-engage in negotiations based on the independent report and absented itself from participating in making important design decisions on the new contract.

    The Government cannot accept that a Trade Union should have a veto on making changes to an outdated employment contract that the BMA agreed urgently needed reform. The Department has therefore asked NHS Employers to take forward the work of developing a new employment contract without the BMA. NHS Employers are arranging to consult with junior doctors and other interested stakeholders directly and will shortly launch a series of roadshows across the country. The Government would still welcome the BMA re-entering the negotiation.

    The new contract will prioritise safe care by strengthening safeguards on doctors’ working hours and reward junior doctors more fairly for the work they do. No financial savings will be made from implementing the new contract. It will be finalised in the new year and is due to be implemented from August 2016.

  • Teresa Pearce – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Teresa Pearce – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Teresa Pearce on 2015-09-17.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether any prisoners in HM Prisons have been deprived of (a) water and (b) electricity by prison officials as a disciplinary measure in the last five years.

    Andrew Selous

    Neither deprivation of water nor of electricity is sanctioned as a disciplinary measure within prisons in England and Wales.

  • Stephen Timms – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Stephen Timms – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Timms on 2015-09-17.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the Answer of 24 March 2015 to Question 228133, pursuant to the Answer of 8 June 2015 to Question 748 and pursuant to the Answer of 15 September 2015 to Question 9414, why information on the number of hardship applications and the amount claimed in hardship payments will now no longer be available; and if he will make a statement.

    Priti Patel

    Information on the number of hardship applications and awards is available and will be published. Information on how much has been claimed in hardship payments is not available.

  • Chris Stephens – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Chris Stephens – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chris Stephens on 2015-09-17.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment his Department has made of the relationship between poverty in childhood and (a) ill-health and (b) use in adulthood of the NHS.

    Jane Ellison

    We want all children to have the healthiest start possible in life, and particularly the poorest children. We have strengthened support for mothers, babies and children by increasing the number of Health Visitors and more than doubling the number of places on the Family Nurse Partnership programme. Health is now a theme of the new Troubled Families Programme, to improve the physical and mental health of the adults and children in these families.

  • Adam Afriyie – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Adam Afriyie – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Adam Afriyie on 2015-09-16.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps he is taking to attract international FinTech companies to the UK.

    Harriett Baldwin

    The Government is committed to making the UK the leading global FinTech hub, and has announced a large number of policy initiatives, including more supportive regulatory regimes for peer-to-peer, digital currencies, and other innovative firms.

    The Government built on this record at the Summer Budget. First, Eileen Burbidge was appointed as the UK’s ‘Special Envoy for FinTech’, where she will represent UK interests in FinTech at home and around the world. Second, an international FinTech benchmarking exercise was announced to measure the UK’s performance and identify areas of best practice from around the world.

  • Nicholas Soames – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Nicholas Soames – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nicholas Soames on 2015-09-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the effect of reductions in local authority social care budgets on the prevalence of delayed discharges in the NHS; and if he will make a statement.

    Alistair Burt

    The Department has not formally assessed the relationship between local authority social care budgets and the prevalence of delayed discharges in the National Health Service.

    Internal analysis has been unable to demonstrate a statistical relationship between local authority budgets and delayed transfer of care performance, although qualitative evidence from the sector does indicate the importance of strong and effective social care services in supporting delivery of NHS services.

  • Douglas Carswell – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Douglas Carswell – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Douglas Carswell on 2015-09-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what proposals his Department has for further defence integration between the armed forces of EU member states; and whether defence integration will be included in the Government’s planned renegotiations of the terms of its membership of the EU.

    Mr Julian Brazier

    Her Majesty’s Government is focused on delivering a successful renegotiation;we believe we can and will succeed in reforming and renegotiating our relationship with the EU and campaigning to keep the UK in the EU on that basis. Although we welcome closer co-operation between the armed forces of EU and NATO member states, this needs to be based on improving defence capabilities across Europe, not creating new institutions. We will not support measures which would undermine member states’ competence for their own military forces, or lead to competition and duplication with NATO

  • Paul Monaghan – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Paul Monaghan – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Monaghan on 2015-09-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, when he plans for the next Overseas Territories Joint Ministerial Council to take place.

    Grant Shapps

    The next Overseas Territories Joint Ministerial Council will take place in London in the week beginning 30 November 2015.